[VAL] Michelle - XM satellite radio service

["T o m" <tmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

            http://www.xmradio.com/how_it_works/satellites.html

            Here is what XM Satellite radio has to say about their service.

            Tom
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            Why Reception Stays Strong
            Originating at the XM broadcast center, XM's broadcast signal is
beamed from two huge earth-station antennas to our broadcast satellites, known
affectionately as "Rock" and "Roll". But despite their names, these satellites
don't move; positioned more than 22,000 miles above the earth in geostationary
orbit, their beams combine to span the entire contiguous U.S. while remaining
stationary with respect to the land below. This enables XM's signal to reach
from coast to coast. Ground antennas, or repeaters, keep the signal strong in
challenging locales such as urban canyons.



              a.. Bi-coastal satellites?
              Yes. Rock and Roll are positioned over east and west coasts and
both keep the entire contiguous U.S. continuously within broadcast range.

              b.. Can you hear the focus?
              Definitely. The XM satellites' fixed orbits ensure a focused and
consistent signal, eliminating broadcast irregularities associated with moving
satellites.

              c.. Power-hungry?
              Rock and Roll are the most powerful commercial satellites ever,
beaming 10 megawatts of equivalent transmitted power back to earth. They were
built by Boeing Satellite Systems, the world's leading commercial manufacturer
of satellites.

              d.. Who knew radio could sound so good?
              Popular Science called our overall sound quality "superb, with
good dynamics, crisp frequency response and virtually inaudible distortion."
Using aacPlus audio encoding by Coding Technologies and Neural Audio
optimization, XM is able to achieve sound quality that is remarkably close to
Compact Disc.
              e..
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